Cristiano Ronaldo recently shared who he considers the best player he’s ever seen in person, though he jokingly admitted he’d prefer to choose himself, as reported by Piers Morgan.
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At 39, Ronaldo is celebrated as one of football’s all-time greats, having just hit the impressive milestone of 900 career goals. His 900th goal came during Portugal’s 2-1 victory over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League.
Ronaldo, known for his ambitious nature, has already set his sights on reaching 1,000 goals before he retires. ..Continue Reading
For many fans and analysts, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star remains one of the greatest players in history. With five Ballon d’Or titles, he stands just behind his long-time competitor Lionel Messi, who holds a record eight.
In a 2022 interview, Morgan shared that Ronaldo had confided Messi was the best player he’d seen play live, though he refrained from acknowledging that Messi was superior to him.
“I had a very interesting conversation with Cristiano, we had dinner after I first interviewed him three years ago, it was a really great conversation and I really like him as a person,” Morgan said on talkSPORT.
“He was incredibly respectful about Messi and I said to him, ‘Who’s the best player you’ve ever seen?’
“He said, ‘Messi, but you’re asking the wrong question, you’re not asking me who is the best player…’, because, of course, he has never seen himself play live.
“So, that made me laugh.
“But then he talked about the pair of them and the difference between them and a lot of the other greats, like R9 Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, George Best, Paul Gascoigne, he said the difference is the longevity he and Messi have had.
“Messi and Ronaldo have had 18 or 19 years at the very top of their game, and that’s testament to their extraordinary dedication, their remarkable physical fitness and their rivalry, which has without any question driven the other to ever greater heights.
“I think it’s been one of the great rivalries of any sport ever, so we’re very lucky to have them.”
Speaking last month, Ronaldo insisted he had no plans to retire from international football.
“When the time comes, I’ll move on,” he said. “It won’t be a difficult decision to make.
“If I feel like I’m no longer contributing anything, I’ll be the first to leave.
“Until the end of my career, I will always have the mindset that I will be a starter.”
